Halftime

The Lakers are up five at the break despite only five shots from Kobe Bryant. Orlando has doubled him on every touch and Bryant has played the role of facilitator, making the right pass and conserving energy. Furthermore, he has spent an extended amount of time guarding a struggling JJ Redick, who checked back in after my last update ironicly, and this has allowed him to roam a bit defensively. Sure Bryant has to locate Redick and ensure he doesn't get open jumpers, but Redick isn't a threat to drive so Kobe can close out hard and discard the threat of a drive. Howard has struggled again due to the Lakers complex double teams. Nevertheless, Rashard Lewis has picked up the slack for Orlando with 2o first half points. He's getting some great looks and is the only Magic player knocking down open jump shots. Lastly, the tempo of the game remains at a pace that favors the Lakers and due to this Orlando is struggling to score.

The ABC halftime with Magic, Jon Berry, Stu Jackson, and Mike Wilbon doesn't nearly compare to TNT's. While this halftime show has some interesting features on players, the analysis isn't nearly as good as TNT's. Most importantly, there is no Charles Barkley to spice things up. Barkley is the Michael Jordan of pregame/halftime shows due to his witty comebacks and knowledge of the game. TNT has one of the few halftime shows worth watching just because of Barkley. If Barkley were a special guest for the Finals, it'd be the best move for ABC (or is it the ESPN on ABC) and the NBA. Better yet, get Barkley and Isaiah Thomas